*ALL GUEST APPEARANCES 
are subject to last-minute cancellation due to work commitments (or health). This is unavoidable when booking guests who are in-demand, current industry professionals. Cancellations, if any, will be immediately reported in the "Hot News" section of this web site.

 

Guest-related
questions?
E-mail Donnie Waddell

Meet the creative talents behind your favorite books, movies, TV shows and comics!

Most of our guests will have scheduled autographing times.  Most will also be giving talks. See a tentative list of Guest Presentations.

Nimród Antal

Hand-picked by maverick writer/producer Robert Rodriguez to helm Predators, the action-packed, rough, raw return to the franchise’s roots, Nimród Antal is young powerhouse director with the right sensibilities to tackle the job!  Born in Los Angeles of Hungarian descent, Nimrod took an unconventional approach to entering the film business by actually enrolling at the Hungarian Film Academy in 1991.  Since then, he’s been a prolific and highly-successful director of European music videos and commercials and is best known for helming the award-winning and unconventional thriller Kontroll in 2003.  Antal returned to Los Angeles in 2005 and directed Vacancy, starring Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson and the just-released heist juggernaut Armored with Matt Dillon, Jean Reno and Laurence Fishburne! 

Greg Nicotero

When it comes to trying to list SFX makeup wizard/super-duper genre fan Greg Nicotero’s many accomplishments, it’s easier to start with what he HASN’T worked on, since that’s a mighty small number of titles!  Since forming KNB Efx Group in 1988 with partners Howard Berger and Robert Kurtzman, Greg has supervised and created dazzling work for scores of films.  Recent projects have included (taking a deep breath here): Sin City, Land of the Dead, Serenity, Deadwood, Masters of Horror, Grindhouse, Transformers, Diary of the Dead, The Mist, Drag Me To Hell, Inglourios Basterds, Public Enemies, Survival of the Dead and now… Predators!  It’s great to have Greg back with us for his fourth WonderFest appearance and we can’t wait to see what sinister show-and-tell items await us…

Harry Knowles

Harry’s meteoric rise from comic and genre collectibles dealer to truly groundbreaking and influential internet blogger and film critic is truly the stuff of legend, and we’re very happy to welcome the creator of Ain’t It Cool News to his first WonderFest!  From spilling Hollywood’s secrets from his not-so-hidden base in Austin, TX to creating and programming what may just be the hardest film event to get into in the USA:  Buttnumbathon-- a 24-hour celebration of film, featuring un-official advanced premieres, vintage films and the rare, weird and unheard of, to making it into the top 100 of the mythic Forbes power list, he has come to define the term ‘Super-Fan’…  Along the way he’s amassed a crew of creative collaborators, been befriended by many a top-notch director and amassed a pretty impressive collection of downright cool stuff --and become a true folk-hero to geeks everywhere.    We’re betting there’s not a single ‘Fester out there who hasn’t logged on to aintitcool.com to get the scoop.  Now it’s time to meet the man who made it happen!

Peter Jurasik

The outrageous Londo Mollari finally touches down at WonderFest!  We’ve been trying to capture fan fave Peter for the last couple of years and finally the trap was successfully sprung. He began his professional career as a stage actor working in off-Broadway theaters and in 1975 he moved to Los Angeles, beginning a twenty five year run as a character actor in film, TV, stage and standup.  He had a long run on the groundbreaking Hill Street Blues and amassed hundreds of TV appearances in both comedies and dramas before landing the role that of Londo in Babylon 5’s award-winning five-year run.  His other genre film roles include Enemy Mine, Tron, Sliders and 3rd Rock from The Sun.

Linnea Quigley

The still-reigning “Queen of the B’s” joins WonderFest in 2010 to celebrate The Return of the Living Dead’s 25th Anniversary and her own starmaking turn as “Trash”, the hot-bodied horror vixen in the film!  It was her great tounge-in-cheek/brains-in-mouth role as the red-headed, tomb-dancing nihilist punk in this cult classic that really launched her career in the era of late 1980’ splatter and she went on to do Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-A-Rama, Night Of The Demons, Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers and many other camp classics!  She’s still an in-demand attraction and stays busy with film, TV, radio and convention appearances.  She has written two books about her life in the B-movie industry, launched her very on website in 2006 (linneaquigley.net) and a line of limited edition perfume in 2008.  This is her first WonderFest appearance and we’re thrilled to have her here at “ground zero” to celebrate…

James Karen

Veteran character actor James Karen has one of those faces you’ve seen absolutely everywhere—film, TV, Broadway and more—but he’s probably most well-known with showbix circles as the genuine article:  the authentic Nice Guy! He attained cult-movie icon status back in 1985 when he took on the tragic and hysterically funny role of Frank, the bumbling Uneeda Medical Supply worker who accidentally unleashes Hell on Louisville in The Return of the Living Dead and is back at the scene of his crime to celebrate with us!  His list of genre credits is impressive and also includes roles in Superman Returns, David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive, Tobe Hooper’s Invaders From Mars and Poltergeist, The China Syndrome, Capricorn One and…er…Frankenstein Meets The Space Monster…?  We’ll have to ask him about that one…

William Stout

Literally the Hardest Working Man in Show Business, WonderFest favorite William Stout will be back with the ‘Fest in 2010 to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of The Return of the Living Dead!  Bill was the film’s Production Designer and is the man responsible for WF’s hometown of Louisville being the setting for the ground-breaking ‘Zomedy’ helmed by the late, great Dan O’Bannon!  In the ensuing quarter-century, Louisville has largely forgiven Bill for his role in the zombification and nuclear annihilation of our fair city, and we promise to keep his brains off the menu at this year’s banquet.  In addition one of the finest paleo-artists in the business (the late Michael Crichton credits Bill’s book, The Dinosaurs, as the inspiration
for Jurassic Park), Mr. Stout has also contributed production and conceptual designs for films ranging from Conan The Barbarian and Masters of the Universe to Men in Black and Pan’s Labyrinth.  In 2009/2010, Bill returned to his love of the dinosauria with TWO new books released:  Dinosaur Discoveries and New Dinosaur Discoveries A-Z !

Cortlandt Hull & Dennis Vincent

Cortlandt and his partner Dennis return in 2010 to raise classic monster-modeling obsession to dizzying new heights!  As creator of The Witch’s Dungeon, one the country’s longest running Halloween attractions and Classic Movie Museums, Cortlandt Hull has been a highly visible “Monster Kid” to generations of readers of Famous Monsters, and continues his preservation and celebration of genre actors, creators and FX artists in a new series of ambitious and heartfelt documentaries:  Legends Of Film & Fantasy, co-produced with Dennis Vincent. They have an extra-special treat in store for WonderFesters this year and will present their wonderful salute to the original Aurora classic monster models The Aurora Monsters - The Model Craze That Gripped The World! as a WonderFest exclusive premier event!  The film will be hosted by none other than the legendary King of Horror Hosts, Zacherley,  and features Aurora artist James Bama,  actor & resin model sculptor Jeff Yagher,  illustrator & model maker Daniel Horne, Sideshow Collectibles’ Tom Gilliland and Mat Falls, Frank Winspur of Moebius Models, Bob Burns and many more!  Not to be missed!

Bob and Kathy Burns

Cinema Archivists, Super-Fans and long-time WonderFest Ambassadors Bob and Kathy Burns return!    No one else embodies the warmth, heart and Fest Philosophy of Imagination, Celebration and Wondrous Fun quite like they do, and we’re happy to have them back for another adventure.  Bob’s role in the preservation of props, models, creatures and costumes—and the history of the genre personalities behind their creation-- is unequaled. In 2009, Bob and Kathy completed—with the help of their enormously talented army of friends—an epic documentary about their legendary backyard  Halloween shows,  and Bob Burns’ Hollywood Halloween can now be seen absolutely FREE at  (where else?): bobburnshollywoodhalloween.com!  There’s not another couple in the world like the Burns duo, and WonderFest is proud and lucky to call them family!

Ken Kelly

WonderFest is thrilled to welcome back Ken Kelly, fantasy artist extraordinaire! Mr. Kelly enjoyed what he called his ‘best show response EVER!’ at last year’s Fest and we hope you’ll  all take advantage of the chance to meet an authentic master of fantasy art again in 2010. His amazing paintings have graced countless paperback covers over the years including the Tarzan and Conan series, and he’s also illustrated for major toy companies such as Mego for their Micronauts toys line. Ken’s artistic versatility knows no boundaries as evidenced by his two award winning album cover paintings commissioned by the legendary rock band KISS for their classic Destroyer and Love Gun albums. His early work may be more familiar to fans of classic monster and horror illustration due to his long association with Warren Publishing that began in 1968. Ken has painted over 150 magazine covers for Vampirella, Eerie, Creepy, and of course, Famous Monsters of Filmland…

And more to come...